Education

NCPA is committed to educating students in the frontiers of the physics of acoustics. Our greatest products are future researchers, teachers, practitioners, and leaders in acoustics. NCPA scientists direct students in laboratory and field research that leads to thesis and dissertation topics, presentations at state and national conferences, and published papers. In this process, students establish valuable contacts with prospective employers and professional colleagues.

The knowledge and skill students achieve through their research experience at NCPA substantially enhances their formal education and employability after graduation. Although not an academic department of the University of Mississippi (UM), NCPA does employ undergraduate and graduate students as research assistants. This employment allows graduate students to fulfill research requirements for their degrees and allows undergraduates who have shown good potential to enhance their learning experience. Graduate students can pursue an emphasis in acoustics for their theses and dissertations by working within NCPA research programs. For example, a student enrolled in the graduate program in physics can choose to complete research requirements in acoustics (a thesis and/or dissertation subject area).

It is preferable that a student is enrolled in an academic program that is appropriate for our research. The following are all viable programs for employment at NCPA: Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, Math, and Chemistry. The School of Engineering at UM offers degree programs in Engineering Science (MS or PhD) with an emphasis on aeroacoustics. Once enrolled in a program, students should contact an NCPA scientist to discuss the possibility of working within their research program. If you are a student at another University, you can contact one of our scientists to discuss summer employment. If you want to apply to the undergraduate or graduate programs at the University of Mississippi, you can apply over the Internet here . When you are considering a school, it is usually best to talk to the students there first. A list of students working at NCPA and their email addresses is available here.